Cyrano de Bridgerton

The Shoe is Slipped on the Other Foot

During the whole walk to Madame Delecroix's modiste shoppe, all Colin could think about was Penelope.  Was Eloise being honest?  Did Penelope truly love him...like that?

More importantly...how did he feel about all this?

All he could think about on his walk was the memories of him and Pen. All the conversations they had held over the years, all the laughs they had shared, the way that everything felt right between them, natural and smooth, yet somehow never boring. Pen always had a surprise up her sleeve, a way to make him smile, a way to make him feel hopeful even in his darkest moments, a way to keep him coming back to her for more. More warmth, more understanding, more witty conversation and easy fun.

The memories went all the way back to when they first met. He remembered the events that had transpired as if it had occurred only yesterday. He had been barely eighteen at the same, and she all but thirteen. Eloise had invited her new friend, the youngest daughter of Baron Archibald Featherington, to meet the rest of the family. Colin had not been looking firward to the introduction on particular. He had been much more interested in riding his new throughbred horse, a gift from Anthony for graduating.

But that fateful day, when he did finally meet her, his earth shook, his heart leapt, and his breath stilled for a good ten seconds.

Falling off a horse tended to do that to a man.

He had been galloping around the back gardens of his home, freely and quite recklessly with no concern for his safety, only the thrill and rush from speeding around. Then, the wind picked up, and the next thing Colin knew, he was met with a satin lady's bonnet right smack in the face, causing him to lose control of his horse and land in a muddy puddle.

The new few moments were a blur for Colin. His very next memory was removing the silky bonnet from his face to see a girl, just Eloise's age, with untamed curls as fiery red as passion itself, and eyes as blue and bright as a cloudless sky after a rainstorm, her round, sweet face tinged with worry as she gazed upon him fir the first time.

"Mr. Bridgerton! Are you alright?", were the very first words she ever spoke to him.

Colin had blinked at her dumbly for a moment.

Then he had laughed.

"Nothing bruised but my oride, my dear.", he said.

He didn't usually joke like that with people he had only just met, but even back then, there had just been something about her that had put him at ease, that made him feel like he could be himself around her.

Her sparkly blue gaze fell upon the frilly headwear still resting in his hand. It wasn't hard for Colin to put the pieces tigether.

"Is this yours?"

She nodded. "Thank you.", she had said, taking the bonnet from him, their fingers brushing as such happened. "You must be Colin Bridgerton. Your sister Eloise speaks about you a handful."

"She speaks highly of me, does she?"

"I said she speaks of you a lot. Not highly."

They shared a laugh, the first of many.

"How do you know my sister?"

"My name is Penelope.", she had said. "Penelope Featherington. I am told Eloise informed you I was calling upon your family, today?"

Colin had smiled. "Oh! You are her new friend! Well, it is a pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance, Penelope."

"As it is for me to meet yours, Mr. Bridgerton."

"Please,", he said gently. "Call me Colin."

And that had been the beginning of something wonderful.

Before Colin knew it, he had finally reached the modiste. Madame Delecroix was standing on the front step, waiting for the time to open up. When she saw the third Bridgerton brother, she smiled and unlocked the front door.